Treat a Hyperthyroid Cat with Diet

Feline Hyperthyroidism is common in about 10 percent of cats over the age of 10 years, and about 3 percent of all cats.

When hyperthyroidism is left untreated it will usually lead to more serious conditions like kidney or heart failure, and eventually death.

But many cat owners consider traditional treatments such as anti-thyroid drugs, surgery(thyroidectomy), and radioactive iodine therapy, to be either inconvenient or too expensive.

Many veterinarians had recently considered managing hyperthyroidism with diet, and owners are reacting favorably to the option of treating with food and natural herbs.

The hills Pet Food company has developed a special food for hyperthyroid pets called Hill’s y/d Thyroid Health.

Here is what bratgrrl.com thinks about the Hill’s diet?

Say No to Hill’s y/d

My little Rubs kitty was diagnosed with hyperthyroid, and in classic nerd fashion I had to research it all to heck before deciding how to treat it.

“My veterinarian is top-notch and I have complete faith in her, but in this instance I’m not taking her advice.”

This is the first time I have ever disagreed with her. Which is saying something as I have three cats, three dogs, and two horses, so we make a lot of visits to the critter doctor.

“Rubsy had the classic symptoms: jittery and nervous, frequent vomiting, excessive thirst, and what got my attention was a sudden weight loss. Her normal weight is eight pounds.”

She was almost down to six pounds when I took her to the vet. She was very gaunt in the flanks and bony. That gauntness is muscle loss from her system consuming its own tissues for protein. [Full article]

A Home-Cooked Low Iodine Diet

Many veterinarians, like myself, suspected that perhaps the cats became ill due to the low quality of the fish ingredients in the cat foods (free radicals, rancidity, peroxides). or that chemicals used to line the cans might be involved.

“However, it is apparent now that there is a third obvious factor, the type and portions of the fish used to produce these cat foods (anterior portion, heads and skin) can be extremely high in iodine. Too little iodine is known to cause hypothyroidism (ref) , and too much iodine can cause hyperthyroidism.”

Must My Cat Eat The Hills Diet For The Rest Of Its Life ? Not necessarily; although It will always need a low-iodine diet.

Once you know that a low-iodine diet is helping your cat, you have another option. You can prepare a low-iodine diet at home. I suggest it, because I think that maintaining your cat on a diet that is primarily corn and soybean-based, will bring on its own set of health issues. [Read More]

Here is an article by Dr. Mark Peterson a renowned expert on endocrine disorders.…

Ideal Composition of Any Diet Fed to Cats with Hyperthyroidism

High Dietary Protein–As discussed in my previous post on “The Best Diet to Feed Hyperthyroid Cats,” we have abundant evidence that hyperthyroid cats should be fed a diet that is high in protein content (>50% of total calories).

“Cats as obligate carnivores are unique in their need for large amounts of dietary protein. This absolute requirement for dietary protein intake in cats is critically important when formulating a diet for hyperthyroid cats, in which protein catabolism and muscle wasting is universally present.”

“Remember that protein is the primary macronutrient responsible for maintenance of muscle mass. Restoring and preserving any remaining muscle tissue in cats treated for hyperthyroidism depends upon the cat consuming a diet with sufficient amounts of high-quality protein. ” [Read full Article]

Traditional treatment options for hyperthyroidism are expensive and traumatic for the cat. Now there is a fourth option for you could consider, diet.